Treatment of hydrocarbons



Nov. 2, 1937. w. o. MITSCHERLING TREATMENT OF HYDROCARBONS Original Filed April 28, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 r VIII Ill/l INVENTOR WALD'EMAE 0. MITSCHERLING WMZW Nov. 2, 1937. w. o. MITSCHERLING 2,097,769

TREATMENT OF HYDROCARBONS Original Filed April 28, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 Fig.5.

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23 3 \iiu H r I n 2/ PUMP f? INVENTOR WALDEMAIZ 0. MJTSCHERHNG WWW Kim ZZZWZwg/n 919M TTORN EYS Patented Nov. 2, 1937 PATENT OFFICE 2,097,769 TREATMENT 'OF HYDROCARBONS Waldemar 0. Mitscherling,. Bridgeport, Com, assignor to The Neon Research Corporation,

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Bridgeport, Conm, a corporation of Connecti- Original application April 28, 1931, Serial No.

533,406. Divided and this application June 1,

1935, Serial No. 24,477

12 Claims. (01. 204-41) This invention relates to the treatment of hydrocarbons and more particularly of aliphatic hydrocarbons, hydrocarbon derivatives, and hydrocarbon compounds including alkyl groups attached to aryl groups, (hereinafter referred to forbrevity as aliphatic hydrocarbon compounds), to form degradation products and/or oxidation products thereof and has as a general object a provision of novel processes and means for accomplishing such treatment in a convenient, emcient and economical manner. The expressions degradation and degrading as used in the specification and claims denote a depolymerization or simplification of the-hydrocarbon body or molecule resulting in the formation of a product or products having a less complex molecular structure or lower molecular weight and a lower boiling point.

A further object of the invention is-to provide processes and means for such treatment including the subjection of aliphatic hydrocarbons to the radiations of arare gas lamp preferably of the positive column type such as, for example, a neon tube.

A particular object of the invention is to subject aliphatic hydrocarbons (either pure or mixtures) to the radiations of a rare gas lamp such as a neon lamp, in a manner and for a time suflicient to lower the boiling point of the whole ofthe material treated or of a particular portion thereof, and/r simultaneously or altematively to form oxidation products thereof as desired.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide processes and means for subjecting such materials to the radiations of a neon lampin the presence of an oxdizing or reducing catalytic material to form alcohols or ketones therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel catalytic materials suitable for use as aforesaid.

Other objects of the invention are in part obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relation of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others, and the apparatus and means embodying features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which are adapted to effect such steps, all as exemplified in the following detailed disclosure. The scope of the invention will be ind cated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in terial after treatment; the supply tank IS in the 200-800 C., and the tank I! receiving the degconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows side elevational view in part diagrammatic showing a simple form of apparatus adapted for continuous treatment of complex aliphatic hydrocarbons to form degradation products thereof;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modified form of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevation view partly in vertical section showing a preferred form of apparatus for accomplishing a treatment similar to that in Fig. 1, but in vapor phase;

Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views and Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view, each showing details of construction of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view of an oxidation or reduction apparatus;

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of another form of apparatus suitable for effecting oxidation or reduction.

As indicated in the above brief description of the drawings and as will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading the more detailed description which follows, the novel processes comprising the present invention contemplate the treatment of aliphatic hydrocarbons, and also contemplate the treatment of these hydrocarbons in either liquid or vapor (including gaseous) phase; and the processes (according to the construction of the apparatus used) may be either of the batch-type or continuous type.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in Fig. 1.is, shown a simple embodiment of apparatus in which the rare gas tube ID of glass or the like containing a rare gas ll, (neon, for example), and having electrodes l2 at each of its ends, attached to a source A. C. potential, and it is surrounded by a non-conducting jacket I3 through which, as the tube I0 is operated, the liquid or vapor to be treated is slowly passed by means of an inlet I l and an outlet l5. Fig. 1 also includes a diagrammatic disclosure of a supply tank IB containing a material to be treated and a receiving tank I! for receiving the maembodiment shown containing a complex aliphatic hydrocarbon mixture commonly known as gas oil and having a boiling range of from radation products of the gas oil the boiling range of which has been reduced by treatment to 150- 700 0., both as indicated by the figures showing the temperature ranges.

In Fig. 2 is shown an apparatus identical with the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 except that the jacket I3 is surrounded by a metallic member is which, in a preferred form, only partially covers the jacket i3 and is in the form of a coil of lead or the like which is grounded as indicated at l9. When using this form of apparatus I have found that instead of lowering the entire range of the boiling point of gas oil, for example, the degradation of the hydrocarbons is accomplished largely in the middle range, whereby when-the treated material is subjected to an Engler distillation test the curve shows a marked increase in the amount of material boiling between the range of 250 and 300 C.- V

In Fig. 3 is shown an embodiment of apparatus adapted for continuous treatment of a mixture of aliphatic hydrocarbons in which there is provided a vessel or column 20 of copper or the like is provided a double walled plate 22 which is shown in detail in Fig. 4 and which is provided with a plurality of tubular passages 23 through which the vaporized oil freely passes and which has its upper wall 22 provided with a plurality of small openings 24 through which moisture supplied at 25 is intimately admixed with the vaporized oil.

Above the plate 22 is situated a filter bed 28 which may be composed of any suitable broken and preferably porous material such as, for example, cracked pumice stonegthat will serve to,

strip out or break up any large particles of oil which may tend to rise through the column 20 and to further mix the vapors. If desired, the pumice stone may be impregnated with spongy copper in a manner to be described hereinafter.

Above the filter bed 26 the column 20 is preferably provided with one or more baille plates 21 which are provided with openings and serve further to intimately admix the vaporized oil and moisture and above these baille plates is located a. rare gas tube 28 such as, for example, a neon tube which is preferably in coiled form as shown particularly in Fig. 5. Finally at the top of the column there is preferably provided a heating coil 29 which is kept at a temperature of around 212 C., for example, and serves to prevent an undue amount of refluxing in the column. It will, of course, be apparent that the heating coil 29 may be otherwise situated forthe same purpose or that a plurality of such coils may be used when necessary.v When treating a normally gaseous hydrocarbon material the used such heating coil may be dispensed with.

At its top the column 20 is provided with a take-off pipe 30 which leads to one or more condensers. As shown, the apparatus is preferably provided with a primary condenser 31 which, when treating gas oil, is maintained at a temperature of around 80' C., and a secondary condenser 32 which is preferably maintained at a temperature of about 14 C. Each of these condensers operate to condense the treated vaporized oil and water and if desired the liquid condensed by the primary condenser 3| may be taken off as indicated diagrammatically at 3| before the treated.

residual vapors are passed to the secondary condenser 32. r

The liquids condensed in treating gas oil by any of the methods and in any of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive may then be distilled and the gasoline fraction recovered therefrom, whereupon the residue may be cracked for the further production of gasoline by any desired method. By the use of the apparatus in the manner shown the total recovery of government standard gasoline fromgas oil can be increased by as muchas 15% or more over that otherwise produced by the same cracking process.

. The disclosure of the condensers in Fig. 3 is merely for'the purpose of simplicity of illustration and it is, of course, to be, understoodthat other means of recovery of thetreated products may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Aliphatic hydrocarbons are, in general, highly inflammable, and in treating them in an apparatus such as shown in Fig. 3, there 'might be danger of an explosion should the mixture be-,

* come ignited either by an accidental spark or by the cracking or breaking of the neon tube. To eliminate this danger, and to allow for differences in expansion characteristics, the gasket through which the ends. of the neon tube 28 pass are preferably constructed as shown in detail in Fig. 6. Around the neon tube 28 is disposed a glass or porcelain insulator 33 which is enclosed within a bushing 34 that screws into or is otherwise suitably joined to the column 20 and closely surrounds the neck of the neon tube 28. Held within the bushing 34 is a suitable non-conducting viscous mixture such as, for example, a pasty mixture 34' of glycerine and barium sulphate which minimizes leakage of gas about the bushing and into the column 20, and over the entire structure and the end of the neon tube is disposed a gas-tight sheath 35. This sheath is initially evacuated and is then filled with nitrogen gas or other inert gas or vapor through an opening 36 which is thereafter continuously attached to a source of such gas as shown at 31.

The lead wire 28' to the electrode of the neon tube, (which is attached to a source of A. C. potential), passes out of the-sheath 35 through a suitable insulator 38 and, as will be readily under stood by one skilled in the art, as a result of such a construction if any gas leaks into the column 20it will be an inert gasv and will not form an explosive mixture with the hydrocarbon being In Fig. 7 is shown an apparatus of the batchtype which is suitable for the treatment of aliphatic hydrocarbon compounds to produce products such as alcohols, or ketones. although it is to be understood that the present invention contemplates also the carrying out of such treatment in a continuous type of apparatus. In the embodiment shown there is provided a container 39 of non-conducting material such as glass or the like in which is placed a foraminous member 40 for holding the catalyzing material 41; the member 40 being preferably formed of metallic material such as, for example, nickel. Disposed .in the catalyzing material is a U-shaped or coiled rare gas tube 42, such as, for example, a neon tube which is provided with electrodes 43 and a source of A. C. potential, and the container 40 is filled toasuitable height with the material to be treated. When treating volatile liquid hydrocarbons to produce volatile products such as alco-. hols, the container 39 is suitably covered as shown at 44 and is provided with a reflux condenser 45. It is also preferably surrounded by a layer of mercury or other suitable conducting material 46 which is either grounded or has a low potential, for example about volts, applied thereto at points opposed to and adjacent the ends of the neon tube; the neon tube preferably being operated at a high potential as, for example, about 15,000 volts and the polarity of the adjacent electrode of the neon tube being opposite to that of the conducting material. Also, if desired, the metallic holder 40 for the catalyzing material 4| may be grounded'or may have a low potential applied thereto at points adjacent the ends of the tube, in which case the polarity should be like that of the adjacent electrodes of the neon tube.

If desired, the member 46 may be omitted although the apparatus shown is found to give a more rapid and perhaps a more complete action than it does without the member 46, although it is to be understood that in any case the treat ment may be carried on to the degree and for the formation of the compounds desired.

Fig. 8 illustrates another form of apparatus which is suitable for effecting treatment of allphatic hydrocarbons whether as a batch or as a continuous operation. The apparatus comprises a container 60 which may be of metal or a nonconducting material and having its upper end closed by a cover or cap t I. The container is provided with an inlet 62 and an outlet or overflow 63, the overflow being so positioned as to maintain the height of a liquid E8 in the bottom of the container at a certain predetermined level. This outlet also prevents the liquid from rising to an undue height within the container.

A foraminous holder M is preferably positioned near the top of the container arid may be constructed of a perforated metal, as nickel. The holder may be in the form of an annulus and within the holder is positioned a rare gas tube as a neon tube, 65. Within the holder and surrounding the neon tube is a catalytic material 66 which may be either of an oxidizing or a reducing nature, as hereinafter more fully described. Positioned beneath the holder is a collecting chamber 61 which may preferably be of annular form and is fixedly attached to the walls of the container as by means of bolts 68 which likewise attach to the walls a supporting member 69 for the holder 64. Leading from the collecting chamber is a pipe or conduit I0 for the purpose of withdrawing liquid from the collecting chamber. This pipe may be in the form of, and act on the prinoiple of a siphon.

Centrally disposed within the container, positioned within the annular holder 64 and collecting chamber 61 and extending beneath the surface of the liquid 18 is a pump II. This pump may be of conical shape as shown, although it will be readily understood that other types of pumps may be employed. The pump is mounted upon a shaft 62 passing through an opening 13 in the cover 6| and is actuated by a suitable source of power, as a motor 15. The apex of the cone is provided with an orifice 11 and at its greatest circumference the periphery is provided with a number of orifices 16. The cover 6| has also an opening 14 through which the pipe I0 passes. The openings 13 and 14 are preferably closed. They may, however, be open and when open there may be located with respect to such openings a suitable means (not shown) for preventing the escape of vapors, as for example, the positioning of a paddle or propeller immediately adjacent to the opening 13 upon shaft 12. The energy is supplied to the neon tube by means of leads l9.

In operation the hydrocarbon to be treated may be introduced through the inlet 62 until the container is filled to the level of the outlet 63 thereby covering the lower end or orifice H of the pump. The rapid rotation of the pump II causes the liquid to rise along its inner surface. Upon reaching the orifices 16 the liquid is discharged therethrough and passed to, and over the catalytic material and neon tube contained within the holder 64. The treated liquid collects in the chamber 61 beneath the holder and may be withdrawn therefrom by the conduit 10. The liquid thus withdrawn, if sufliciently treated by a single pass, is then ready either for utilization per se or after rectification to separate it into the desired fractions. However, when the treatment is not sufficient in a single passage of the liquid, it may be repassed, either before or after further processing.

If the amount of hydrocarbon contacted with the catalytic material is such as to accomplish the desired treatment thereof by a single passage, the process may be made continuous by introducing the hydrocarbon to be treated continuously through the inlet 62 at such a rate as to permit the treatment of the desired amount of hydrocarbon, and for the predetermined overflow through the outlet 63. In the event that the treatment is incomplete by single contact with the catalyst, the hydrocarbon may be withdrawn from the collecting chamber, and if desired, after separation of certain constituents, returned in a continuous manner to the liquid in the base of the container.

It will be realized, of course, that the liquid may be passed to, or contacted with the catalyst and neon tube by means other than that particularly shown in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 8. Thus, the reservoir instead of forming a part of the container may be positioned without this container and the liquid passed to the catalyst by a suitable arrangement of conduits that will be understood by those skilled in the art.

The catalytic material 4| (Fig. '7) and 66 (Fig. 8) may be formed in a variety of ways, the requirements being that it shall be generally granular in form, catalytically active and substantially non-conductive per se, and that it shall contain water and material of an oxidizing or reducing type as desired.

A preferred form of catalytic material may be prepared by treating an active carbon for example, a granular decolorizng carbon such as "Darco, which is a charcoal having marked absorptive and decolorizing properties and which is prepared by the destructive distillation of carbonaceous material, part cularly lignite. by washing thoroughly; then treating with an organic acid such as acetic acid to form soluble salts with the alkaline mineral constituents thereof; thereafter again washing thoroughly; steaming out the residue of the organic acid; and then impregnating with a solution ofan oxidiz ng substance such as sodium perborate or the l ke which has preferably been put intocolloidal form by first boiling with a trace of gum such as agar-agar. gum arabic, or with other suitable materials such as glue, glucose or the like. In place of the perborate mentioned, other perborates or perchlorates, persulfates, percarbonates, bichromates, hydrogen peroxide or other suitable oxidizing material may be used to impregnate the active carbon, the amount in general being about of the weight of the carbon. This prepared oxidizing catalytic material is then placed while still wet into the nickel screen basket 40 and after the container 39 has been substantially filled with the material to be treated, the neon tube is operated and the oxidizing treatment carried on until the desired amount of the desired alcoholis formed. As indicated above, when treating complex hydrocarbons, a degradation tends to occur simultaneously with the formation 01' alcohols or ketones.

For producing ethyl alcohol from gasoline, for example, I have found it desirable to use a neon tube (e. g. 11 mm. outside diameter) with an impressed voltage of about 1000 volts and a tube current of about 4 milliamperes, the treatment being carried on for from about 24 to 36 hours in the apparatus shown in Fig. '7, but without the member 46.

For treating more complex hydrocarbons such as kerosene, the treatment is in general the same, but theamperage or time of treatment is suitably increased and, as will be apparent to one .skilled in the art, if larger capacity tubes or higher impressed voltages are used the amperage and time of treatment is varied according to the results desired.

For the production of alcohols the neon tube mav, if desired, be replaced by an argon tube.

Fior treating'hydrocarbons for depolymerization, the voltages and times of treatment may vary widely but in general I have found somewhat higher voltages say around 7000 to 15,000 volts to give good results.

Another suitable oxidizing catalytic material can be formed, using pumice stone as a carrying material, by soaking cracked pumice stone in a copper sulphate solution; adding sufllcient sodium hydroxide until the re-solution of the copper hydroxide has not quite commenced (that is, until a blue precipitate is formed, as distinguished from the initially formed green precipitate); then adding a small amount of sodium bicarbonate solution to throw back the precipitation slightly and to give a gelatinous mixture conta ning about 1 to 2% of copper sulphate admixed with some copper carbonate and copper hydroxide, so that the precipitate has approximately a neutral reaction and the liquid is slightly acid. In order to get this catalytic material in the most active form, the treatment must be carried out at a temperature suiliciently low to prevent the formation of a black precipitate, and I have found a temperature of 14 C. orbelow to be desirable. The oxidizing catalytic material so formed may be used in place of the active carbon oxidizing catalyzing material above described and likewise should be used in a wet state for the formation of alcohols.

When it is desired to form ketones, instead of alcohols, from aliphatic hydrocarbon compounds, the material used to impregnate the active carbon should be of the reducing type such as, for example, sodium acid sulphite, ferrous sulphate, nitre-cake, chlor-acetic acid, or reducing compounds which dissolve in their own water of crystallization such as, for example, the sulphocyanates. Active carbon may be impregnated with these materials, preferably in colloidal form by the use of agar-agar in the same manner as described above in connection with the oxidizing and are also used in a found to improvethe catalytic material.

A suitable materialdor use in the filter bed 26 shown in Fig. 3, in the degradation of complex aliphatic hydrocarbons, may be prepared by dipping pumice stone in the copper hydroxide precipitate formed as above described; then placing it in a Gooch crucible or the like; washing out the electrolyte; heating to about C., to form black copper oxide; and finally placing the crucible over methyl alcohol whereby the copper oxide is reduced to a spongy form of metallic copper. This copper impregnated pumice stone is susceptible to oxidation and hence after preparation should be kept away from air as, for example, by covering with benzol or the like, until it is used. When thus prepared the pumic stone will carry about 6 to 7% of copper.

This copper impregnated pumice stone may also conveniently be used in place of active carbon 'asa carrier for the chemical oxidizing or reducing substances referred to above to form an oxidizing or reducing catalytic material. A similarly active impregnated pumice base can be prepared by soaking cracked pumice stone in a solution of nickel nitrate; adding sodium hydroxide.

solution to form a. precipitate of nickel hydroxide; removing the pumice stone from the solution, Washing out the electrolyte; and heating to about 300 C. Such nickel oxide impregnated pumice may be used in a like manner and for like purposes, as the copper impregnated pumice referred to above.

By the treatment of aliphatic hydrocarbons in the presence of oxidizing catalytic materials of the type described, with a rare gas tube such as neon, I have found it possible, for example, to convert kerosene directly into ethyl, butyl, and amyl alcohols, and by using the reducing catalyzing materials I have been able to form the corresponding ketones.

It .will thus be seen that by means of the present invention novel means and processes have been developed whereby aliphatic hydrocarbons may be degraded, oxidized or reduced as desired, and since certain changes in carrying out the above process and in the construction set forth, which embody the invention may be made without departing from its scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Particularly it is to be understood that in said claims ingredients recited in the singular are intended to include mixtures of such ingredients wherever the sense permits.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 533,406, filed April 28, 1931,

introducing hydrocarbon in conductive container and which matured into Patent No. 2,003,893, dated June 4, 1935.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus for use in the conversion of a hydrocarbon comprising in combination a positive column rare gas tube surrounded by a jacket provided with inlet and outlet openings where said hydrocarbon may be passed through said iadset and about said tube to convert said hydrocarbon, said jacket being partially surrounded with a metallic material which is grounded.

2. An apparatus for use in the conversion of a hydrocarbon comprising in combination a positive column rare gas tube surrounded by a. jacket provided with inlet and outlet openings whereby said hydrocarbon may be passed through said jacket and about said tube to convertsaid hydrocarbon, said jacket being surrounded by a spiraled metallic material which is grounded.

3. An apparatus for use in the conversion of an aliphatic hydrocarbon comprising in combination a vertically disposed column means for introducing said hydrocarbon in finely divided condition at the lower end of said column at a temperature of about 400 0., means for intimately admixing water vapor with said hydrocarbon, a neon lamp located in said column in a position to treat said hydrocarbon and water vapor, and means for causing said mixture to pass about said lamp.

4. An apparatus for use in the conversion of an aliphatic hydrocarbon comprising in combination a. vertically disposed column provided with condensing means leading from the top thereof, a spray head positioned in the bottom for finely divided condition at a temperature of about 400 C. and under a pressure of about 70 pounds, a double wall plate positioned above the spray head provided with a plurality of tubular passages therethrough and with a plurality of orifices in the upper surface thereof, a filter bed above said plate, a neon lamp positioned in the upper part of said column, a bailie between said filter bed and said neon lamp and a heating coil near the top oi the column.

5. An apparatus for converting a hydrocarbon into an alcohol comprising in combination a container for said hydrocarbon, a foraminous mem- ,,ber in said container, an oxidizing catalytic material upon said member, a rare gas vacuum tube having electrodes at which electric current is conducted by ions of the rare gas, said raregas tube being surrounded by saidliydrocarbon and by said catalytic material, means for passing said hydrocarbon to said tube and the catalytic material, and means for withdrawing treated hydrocarbon from said container.

6. An apparatus for converting a hydrocarbon A into a ketone comprising in combination a nonconductive container for said hydrocarbon, a

foraminous member in said container, a reducing catalytic material upon said member, a rare gas vacuum tube having electrodes at \the ends thereof and in which electric current is conducted by ions of the rare gas, said rare gas tube being surrounded by said hydrocarbon and by said catalytic material, means for passing said hydrocarbon to said tube and the catalytic material, and means for withdrawing treated hydrocarbon from said container.

7. An apparatus for converting a hydrocarbon into an alcohol comprising in combinations nonio'r said hydrocarbon, a fothe ends thereof and in.

raminous member in said container, an oxidizing catalytic material upon said member, a neon vacuum tube having electrodes at the ends thereof and in which electric current is conducted by ions of the rare gas, said neon tube being surrounded by said hydrocarbon and by said catalytic material, means for passing said hydrocarbon to said tube and the catalytic material, and means for withdrawing treated hydrocarbon from said container.

8. An apparatus for converting a hydrocarbon into an alcohol comprising in combination a nonconductive container for said hydrocarbon, a foraminous metal member in said container, an oxidizing catalytic material upon said member, and a neon tube surrounded by said hydrocarbon and by said catalytic material, said foraminous metal member having a low potential applied thereto at points adjacent the ends of said neon tube and of the same polarity as said adjacent ends.

9. An apparatus for converting an aliphatic hydrocarbon into an alcohol comprising in combination a non-conductive container for said hydrocarbon, a foraminous metal member in said container, an oxidizing catalytic material upon said member, a neon tube surrounded by said hydrocarbon and by said catalytic material, and a metallic material on the outsidev of said container, said metallic material being grounded.

10. An apparatus for converting a hydrocarbon into an oxygenated compound comprising in combination a container for said hydrocarbon, a foraminous member in said container, a catalytic material upon said member, a rare gas vacuum tube having electrodes at the ends thereof and in which electric current is conducted by ions of the rare gas within saidcontainer and surrounded by said catalytic material, a collecting chamber beneath the foraminate member, means for withdrawing treated material from saidchamber and means for passing the hydrocarbon to the tube and catalyst.

11. An apparatus for converting a hydrocarbon into an oxygenated compound comprising in combination a non-conductive container for said hydrocarbon provided with an inlet and an outlet, 9. foraminous .metal member in the form of an annulus positioned in the upper part ofsaid container, an oxidizing catalytic material upon said member, a neon tube positioned within the foraminous member and surrounded by said catalytic material, an annular collecting chamber beneath said member, a siphon for withdrawing treated materlal from said chamber, a conical pump centrally disposed within the container whereby the hydrocarbon is withdrawn from the lower part thereof and passed to the neon tube and catalyst.

12. An apparatus for converting a hydrocarbon into an oxygenated compound, comprising in combination a container for said hydrocarbon, a foraminous member in said containeroa catalytic material upon vacuum tube having electrodes at the ends thereof and in which electric current is conducted by ions oi. the rare gas positioned at. least partly within said container and at least partly surrounded with said catalytic material, means for passing said hydrocarbon to the rare gas tube and the cataly c material, and means for withdrawing the treatedhydrocarbon from said con- \tainer.

WALDEMAR O. LEISCHERLING.

said member, a rare gas" 

